Pepper, long

Long pepper, neither crushed nor ground (whole dried)

FSSAI CLEARANCE

HSN 0904 11 10 (Pepper, long) is subject to Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) Import Licence under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, with consignments permitted only through designated food-import entry points under General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022. Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) policy confirms that all spices, including long pepper, fall under Appendix 4J and are subject to a pre-import condition, rendering them ineligible for import under Duty-Free Import Authorisation (DFIA) under any circumstances. Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) rectifiable-labelling and e-Sanchit document-upload requirements apply as additional clearance conditions.

What this is

HSN code

0904 11 10

Chapter

09 · Coffee, tea, mate and spices

Primary regulator

FSSAI · Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006

Customs documentation

Import Licence from FSSAI
Food Grade Certificate from FSSAI
Phytosanitary Certificate from exporter

Applicable Partner Government Agencies

FSSAIFSSAI·Food Safety and Standards Authority of India

Procedural directions for customs clearance are issued by: Directorate General of Foreign Trade, Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs.

Compliance steps

1
Upload all four mandatory documents in e-Sanchit before filing the bill of entry: Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS), Food Grade Certificate (document code 6570FS), Phytosanitary Certificate (document code 851000), and FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001). Customs out-of-charge will not be granted until the proper officer verifies all four codes are present in e-Sanchit.
CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus dated 07-03-2023 · CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus dated 28-06-2022 · FSSAI order dated 18-11-2022
2
Route the consignment only through a designated food-import entry point. Confirm compliance with General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022; arrival at a non-designated port renders the consignment liable to detention pending re-routing or re-export.
General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of ITC (HS) 2022 · CBIC Instruction 05/2023-Cus dated 08-02-2023
3
Do NOT structure this import under a Duty-Free Import Authorisation. DGFT Policy Circular 05/2025 dated 22-09-2025 confirms all spices fall under Appendix 4J with a pre-import condition and are ineligible for DFIA import irrespective of intended end use. Any labelling deficiencies permissible under the rectifiable-labelling regime must be corrected at the customs bonded warehouse by affixing a single non-detachable sticker, prior to visual inspection by the authorised FSSAI officer.
DGFT Policy Circular 05/2025 dated 22-09-2025 · FSSAI Letter 1828/Misc Matters/FSSAI/Imports-2021 dated 17-06-2022 · FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020

A word of counsel

The most common error on this tariff line is attempting to import long pepper under a Duty-Free Import Authorisation on the basis that the end use is manufacturing or re-export — DGFT Policy Circular 05/2025 dated 22-09-2025 closes this route categorically: all spices are listed under Appendix 4J with a pre-import condition, and no end-use carve-out exists. A DFIA-routed consignment will be treated as an unauthorised restricted import at the bill-of-entry stage, attracting detention and potential confiscation independently of whether the FSSAI and AQCS clearances are otherwise in order.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 0904 11 10 require BIS certification?

No, long pepper is not within the BIS Quality Control Order regime; no BIS QCO covers spices of the genus Piper. Import is governed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, with DGFT Appendix 4J pre-import conditions and a designated-port restriction under General Note 4(D) of the ITC (HS) 2022.

Which document codes must be uploaded in e-Sanchit for a long pepper consignment?

Four codes are mandatory: Specimen Copy of Label (0110FS), Food Grade Certificate (6570FS), Phytosanitary Certificate (851000), and FSSAI Import Licence (911001); out-of-charge will not be granted until all four are verified in e-Sanchit per CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus.

Can labelling deficiencies be rectified after the consignment arrives at the Indian port?

Yes, but only within the rectifiable-labelling regime: permitted corrections must be made at the customs bonded warehouse before visual inspection by the authorised officer, using a single non-detachable sticker that does not alter the original label, as specified in CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus and the FSSAI order dated 18-11-2022.

Last verified against gazette notifications: 2026-05-16. Source: FSSAI / DGFT / CBIC / Indian Customs CUSDATA.